With nearly half of all Americans now living in a state that has legalized the adult use of cannabis, it can be hard to keep track of which state legalized when.
That’s why we’re keeping track of it for you. Here’s our running record of each state’s legalization vote, the first day it was legal for all adults to possess marijuana, and the first day retail weed stores opened.
For more information on state legalization and your state’s current cannabis laws, limits, and regulations, check out Leafly’s Ultimate Guide to Legalization.
We’ll update this list as more states legalize. Click on the state name below for a deeper dive into that state’s current cannabis laws.
Related
Leafly’s guide to marijuana legalization
Recreational (adult use) legalization
| State | Election Date | Possession Legal | Stores Opened |
| Alaska | Nov. 4, 2014 | Nov. 5, 2014 | Oct. 29, 2016 |
| Arizona | Nov. 3, 2020 | Nov. 30, 2020 | Jan. 22, 2021 |
| California | Nov. 8, 2016 | Nov. 9, 2016 | Jan. 1, 2018 |
| Colorado | Nov. 6, 2012 | Dec. 10, 2012 | Jan. 1, 2014 |
| Connecticut | June 22, 2021* | July 1, 2021 | TBD |
| Illinois | May 31, 2019 | May 31, 2019 | Jan. 1, 2020 |
| Maine | Nov. 10, 2016 | Jan. 1, 2016 | Oct. 9, 2020 |
| Massachusetts | Nov. 8, 2016 | Dec. 15, 2016 | Nov. 20, 2018 |
| Michigan | Nov. 6, 2018 | Nov. 16, 2018 | Dec. 1, 2019 |
| Montana | Nov. 3, 2020 | Jan. 1, 2021 | Jan. 1, 2022 |
| Nevada | Nov. 8, 2016 | Jan. 1, 2017 | July 1, 2017 |
| New Jersey | Nov. 3, 2020 | Jan. 1, 2021 | April 21, 2022 |
| New Mexico | April 12, 2021* | April 12, 2021 | April 1, 2022 |
| New York | March 31, 2021* | March 31, 2021 | TBD |
| Oregon | Nov. 4, 2014 | Nov. 5, 2014 | Oct. 1, 2016 |
| Rhode Island | May 25, 2022* | May 25, 2022* | TBD |
| Vermont | Jan. 22, 2018* | July 1, 2018 | TBD |
| Virginia | April 11, 2020 | July 1, 2021 | TBD |
| Washington | Nov. 6, 2012 | Dec. 6, 2012 | July 8, 2014 |
* Denotes a state that legalized via the state legislature. Date listed is when the governor signed the bill into law.
Bruce Barcott
Leafly Senior Editor Bruce Barcott oversees news, investigations, and feature projects. He is a Guggenheim Fellow and author of Weed the People: The Future of Legal Marijuana in America.
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